Hot Seat: T.J. Bonner

T.J. Bonner, the San Diego County-based president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union that represents more than 12,000 Border Patrol agents, took our questions.

How do most front-line Border Patrol agents view the Obama administration's plans for immigration enforcement?

At this time, there isn't a lot to judge the administration by on this issue, but the economy has admittedly commanded most of its attention. Since the two are closely related, however, the administration should be focusing a lot more on illegal immigration.

What would be the single most beneficial policy change?

To hold employers accountable for the workers they hire. If we would implement a system that makes it easier to verify whether someone is eligible for employment, and at the same time imposed stiff fines for employers who hire people who aren't eligible, the lion's share of the illegal immigration crisis – easily 95 percent – would be solved.

How frustrating is it that these things aren't done?

It's extremely frustrating. Our immigration laws don't need a sweeping overhaul. Many of these reforms could be accomplished through a few minor tweaks in the existing laws, but the laws do need to be enforced. In many cases, policy prevents agents from enforcing the laws that the public expects them to enforce.

Polls show public support for enforcing these laws, but most Democratic officeholders see them as unfair to Latinos and maybe other minorities. Most, or at least many, Republican lawmakers don't like the laws because the Chamber of Commerce wants cheap workers. Is it frustrating not to be able to count on either party?

A lot of people look at the issue in that partisan manner, but I don't buy that. In reality, both parties are heeding the wishes of the business lobby. Let's be honest about who directly and indirectly provides most funding for both parties – corporations. Most corporations don't care about the ramifications of making it easy to enter the country illegally. Millions of impoverished people who are not trained in escape and evasion tactics successfully enter the U.S. illegally every year. Think about how much easier it is for well-funded, well-trained terrorists or criminals to get across the border. Our front-line agents estimate that for every individual we catch, two get by us. As we saw on 9/11, it doesn't take many terrorists to do a tremendous amount of damage.

Is it going to take a new terrorist attack inside the United States, or an attack that is foiled at the last minute, to get politicians and business lobbying groups to realize this?

It didn't work after 9/11. I would have thought that if anything was a wake-up call, that was it. Instead, we hit the snooze button. The most frustrating thing is that most citizens have long recognized the dangers posed by open borders, but the majority of politicians continue to ignore the will of the people.

Last week it was revealed that the California Highway Patrol Border Division has a policy of not helping the Border Patrol with vehicle pursuits for what appear to be “merely” immigration violations – even as the CHP takes tens of millions of dollars in homeland security funds. What is your biggest concern about this?

That they are ignoring public safety. A policy that allows vehicles to recklessly speed down our highways without a reaction from a major law enforcement agency is irresponsible. By punching the accelerator and fleeing from law enforcement officers, those criminals have proven they have complete and utter disregard for public safety. Ignoring that type of criminal behavior will not reduce it, but will in fact encourage even more of their accomplices to flee, thus endangering the public to a greater degree.